An Embuggerance (Terry Pratchett's message)

[Grushenka]

Posted on Discworld News 11 & 12 December 2007. The smiley is Pratchett's. I love the word he made up, embuggerance. Sorry for the sad news, but I'm posting it mostly because of the way TP announced it, his always brilliant wit and character. Good luck to him!

AN EMBUGGERANCE

Folks,

I would have liked to keep this one quiet for a little while, but because of upcoming conventions and of course the need to keep my publishers informed, it seems to me unfair to withhold the news. I have been diagnosed with a very rare form of early onset Alzheimer's, which lay behind this year's phantom "stroke".

We are taking it fairly philosophically down here and possibly with a mild optimism. For now work is continuing on the completion of Nation and the basic notes are already being laid down for Unseen Academicals. All other things being equal, I expect to meet most current and, as far as possible, future commitments but will discuss things with the various organisers. Frankly, I would prefer it if people kept things cheerful, because I think there's time for at least a few more books yet )

PS I would just like to draw attention to everyone reading the above that this should be interpreted as 'I am not dead'. I will, of course, be dead at some future point, as will everybody else. For me, this maybe further off than you think - it's too soon to tell.
I know it's a very human thing to say "Is there anything I can do", but in this case I would only entertain offers from very high-end experts in brain chemistry.

[signed TP]

AN UPDATE

Folks,

My good friend Sandra Kidby of PJSM Prints is allowing me to use her website because I am proverbially too busy to run one of my own. We have hardly the time even to read the thousands of messages that have come in here, let alone reply to them, but thank you all.

Could I make a small comment, however? Lots of people are sending me plot ideas. Please, I have a lot of ideas. There is no shortage of ideas and ideas sent to me, even with the very best of intentions, are carefully filleted out of the correspondence before they even get to me. I know they are sent in an effort to help, and I appreciate this, but I advise you not to waste your time.

I am also getting a lot of requests for interviews. I am not giving any because everything I have got to say or that can be said is in the bulletin below. There is no point in saying it again, but in a different order.

Can I remind everybody that I still aten’t dead, even today.

Thanks again for all your good wishes.


[signed TP]

 

[Stella_Omega]

Oh waily, waily!

 

[starrkers]

Oh profound bugger.

 

[cantdog]

So it motherfuckin goes. Time is a wrecker and there ain't never been any justice.

I admire his attitude and his fortitude. May the gods take it the fuck easy on him for once.

 

[rgraham666]

Well, crap.

 

[john-the-author]

"I aten't dead yet" is a wonderful way to put it.

But yes: "Oh, waily, waily!"

 

[gauchecritic]

What a bugger. Like he says he still has lots of possible years left but the burning question for him must be how many will be productive?

Poor bloke.

 

[elfin_odalisque]

He says he has got a few more books in him and he's not a dribbling wreck.

Disease - however serious - is not a reason to write people off.

 

[Oblimo]

Oh, fuck. Early onset Alzheimer's is such a horrible, utterly unforgiving tragedy. It should not happen to anyone, and this one happens to be of my most favorite people in the world.

Time to play Warren Zevon's (mayherestinpeace) My Shit's Fucked Up.


Well, I went to the doctor
Said, "i'm feeling kind of rough..."
"Let me break it to you son,
You're shit's fucked up!"
I said, "My shit's fucked up?!
Well, I don't see how!"
He said, "The shit that used to work,
Well, it won't work now!"

I had a dream; aw shucks, oh well
Now its all fucked up, its shot to hell
Yea-eah, my shit's fucked up
It has to happen to the rest of us
The rich folk suffer like the rest of us--
It'll happen to you.

That amazing grace
Thought it passed you by
You wake up every day
And you start to cry
You want to die
But you just can't quit
Let me break it on down:

Its some fucked up shit

Yeah, my shit's fucked up
...
My God.

 

[MagicaPractica]

Rock on Terry.

 

[Salvor-Hardon]

I was explaining to a librarian the brilliance of his works. She said "I don't like science fiction or fantasy books".

"Read Mort" I tell her. I go on to give her a summation of the scene in which we learn Death's horse's name. She laughed and said she would get if it a chance.

Regardless of what he does in the future, he has made the world a better place already. I only hope I can face any tragedy that comes my way with the same grace and humor he has.

 

[scriptordelecto]

Well, damn. Despite his amazing attitude, it's still a devastating blow.

 

[English Lady]

I read about this on the GB yesterday and it is sad, really sad, Pratchett is one of my favourite Authors and my other died last year (David Gemmell) but I love his attiude, bless him. I truly believe he's got a good few books in him yet.He strikes me as the kind of man to not give up easily.

 

[Liar]

An embuggerance indeed.

May the years before it kicks in be many.

It's a sad sad thing. My gramps has gone that route in the last 3 years or so. It's not as hard on him as on the others around him. I wrote this some weeks ago.


---

Measuring decades with a stopwatch

He tells us stories of wildfires that
never burned, phantom years in the navy
and adventures on distant shores
he only ever saw on tv. And how
the neighbor's dog, which doesn't
exist, keeps him up at night
with its barking, and how someone
steals his mail. Business spys, most
certainly coveting the clients
he never had.

And then,

We went there, you know. To Naples,
on our very first vacation after marrying,
back in '55.

I glance up and grandma, and she nods. Before

*click* - 12 seconds this time

it's gone. And the former boxer remembers
his archery career.

 

[Just-Legal]

I read this at work yesterday, but still... I admire his attitude immensely.

 

[Grushenka]

It's a sad sad thing. My gramps has gone that route in the last 3 years or so. It's not as hard on him as on the others around him. I wrote this some weeks ago.
---

Measuring decades with a stopwatch

He tells us stories of wildfires that
never burned, phantom years in the navy
and adventures on distant shores
he only ever saw on tv. And how
the neighbor's dog, which doesn't
exist, keeps him up at night
with its barking, and how someone
steals his mail. Business spys, most
certainly coveting the clients
he never had.

And then,

We went there, you know. To Naples,
on our very first vacation after marrying,
back in '55.

I glance up and grandma, and she nods. Before

*click* - 12 seconds this time

it's gone. And the former boxer remembers
his archery career.

I'm quoting this so that others can see a very fine bit of po'try. Though he may not know it, your gramps is fortunate to have such a seeing grandson. I love the big picture of a life you put in such concise form. Must have been done with love. Good luck to you, and Gramps, and Grandma.

Grushenka